Card-spreading device



P. FLEMING CARD SIPREADING DEVICE Dec. 4 1923.

Filed Oct. 21. 1921' 7 5 ,JZuezzZZr Ecol/Z 5 llIlllli la v Patented Dec. 4;, 1923.

UNITED, .sr

TES'

PAUL n. FLEMING, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. '1

1,476,157 PATENT Fries.

CAI-tD-SPREADING- DEVICE.

Application filed October 21, 1921. Seria1 No.'509,445.

Z '0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that 1, PAUL E. FLEMING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chi cago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Card-Spreading Devices,'of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for spreadin file or index cards, leaves, pages andthe like so that a ready and quick reference may be had to the cards or leaves without removing them from the member or .means by WlllCll they are carried.

. leased, to be readily and easily withdrawn from and inserted back into place or partially raised Whenever a detailed inspection of a card is desired during the spreading operation.

A further object of my invention is to raisethe spreading member by contact with the cards as they are returned to starting position, and thus permit'the cards to pass under said member without spreading the cards on theirreturn movement.

The invention consists further in the matters hereinafter described and more particularly set forth in the appended claims; 7 a

.qIn the accompanying drawings 1 Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cardspreading device constructed 1 in accordance with my invention Fig. 2 is a top plan View of said device;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2; 1

Fig. 4 isja'similar view showing how a card may be removed fromv the group'durin the spreading operation; and 1 T ig. 5 is a viewof a detail of construction to be hereinafter describeda "F or illustrative purposes, thedevice of my invention is'shown in thedrawin'gs in the form of an ofiice tickler and comprises a boxlike frame or-case 1 open at thefront and having two end walls 2, 2, a rear wall 3, all

upright, and a flat bottom wall 4:. These walls are suitably connected to make the case or support 1 rigid and capable of sitting upright on a desk or other place where the device is used. '1 Located in the case 1 tray-like member 5, horizontally arranged above the wall 4 and extendingbetween the end walls 2, 2. The tray 5 opens upwardly to receive and contain therein a plurality or group of index cardsor leaves 6, 6. These project above the tray and have their upper or free edges in the same plane. The tray 5 has depending end plates 7, 7 fixedeto a horizontal rock shaft 8 between the bottom ofthe tray and the bottom wall 4. This shaft 8 extends between the end walls: 2, 2 and has its ends mounted therein. i

For oscillating or rocking the tray 5, I provide an arcuateqrack bar 9'fixedto the tray at one end thereof and between the same and one'of the endwalls2 of the case. Extending outward from said'end wall 2 is a tubular'bracket-lO, in which is'journaled a shaft 11. This shaft extends through said end wall 2 and has fixed toits inner end a pinion 12 in mesh with said rackbar 9. Fixed to theouter end of said shaft 11 is a hand wheel513 so that the tray-5 may be cards 6 inthemanner to be presently described.

Secured to the r'earwall 3 is bracket 14 as shown in the drawings, andprovided with two parallel bracket arms 15, 15 extending over the upper or free edges of the cards is a container or journaled or rockably I rocked back and forth, for spreading the extending above the upper edge of that well,

Between these arms 15, 15 at the outer ends thereof is located a relatively heavy or weighted spreading member or roller 16' having its trunnions 17 in arcuate s'lots'18 in .the arms '15, 15, as shown. These slots are arranged generally oblique to theswinging movement of the cards and extend upward d i ward toward the inner. ends of the arms 15, 15.

The device is operated or used in? the following'manner.v Normally the cards 6 arein a position to the rear, of the roller 16- and rest against. the rear wall3 ofth'eqcase 1,

unless the rack 9 has a stop memberto hold the cards out of contact with; said wall. The

handle 13-isturned a direction tosw'ilig' the cards-6 and tray outwardtoward and under the roller 16. WVhen the cards come in contact with the roller 16, the pressure on the roller is outward, with the result that the roller is maintained at the bottom of'the slots 18.- A continued outward rocking of the cards 6rcauses them to be flexed or bent backward as they pass under the roller 16v and when freed from the rollerswing or sfiex quickly outward to effect a sufficient spreading of thecards-to permit the operator having a v1ew.-of the index or other data appearmg on the face, of the several cards as they are flirted or spread by'- the roller.

In order that the free or upper edges of all the cards contained in-the tray 5 will be spread by the-roller 16, the bottom :surface 19 of the tray is curved or rounded to conform to the are of-movement ofthe tray with the shaft '8, this causing the upper or free edges offall thecards to contact with the roller 16 as they are moved under it.

The front portionof this curved surface 19 in extending downward permits the lower portions of thefront half of the cards as they are bent backward to beforced or compressed in tight contact with each other 'to prevent the cards as they are freed from the roller from jumping upward or being otherwise displaced out of proper position I tions are not held in such tight contact that they cannot be easily'raised.

Spreading of all the cards is accomplished by moving them under and beyond the roller 1 '16. To return thecards to position behind the roller, in order to be ready for an additional spreading, the handle 13 is turned in the opposite direction to swing the tray 7 5 back into starting position and, by reason of the slots 18, the roller 16' is raised by contact with the cards and allows them to 7 pass freely under the roller without having 'any spreading action onthem in'the return movement, as indicated in Fig. 5.

By the construction described the cards '6'n1ay be spread at any speed desired, either fast or slow, as the user may require, and

7 maybe stopped at any point in the spread- 3;operation at any point in the group'so as ing action in order that the operator may view any one or moreof the cards in the group. Should it be desired to step the to further inspect thecard-atthat point, ro-

tation of the handle. 13 is stopped and the grasp thereon loosened. This permits the tray 5 to fall back and the roller 16 drops into the space between the cards to the rear and front of the roller as indicated in Fig. 4. The tension on the cards being released, any card in front-of the roller 16 may be readily and easily withdrawn from the tray, as shown in said Fig. 4. As the compression on the lower portions of the cards is relieved to permit this being done, the card or cards withdrawn may be readily and easily inserted in place back into the .tray 7 and the spreading continued or started over again by moving the cards back to starting position. 7 I I l/Vhile I have shown and described my invention as applied to an oflice tickler, it is of course to be understood that my in ventionmay be applied-to a card drawer, or be used to spread the pages of a book, such as a telephone or other 'directory,'by

placing the same in a tray such as 5. I do' not wish to be limited to the details of construction and arrangement of parts shown, as they may bevariouslyrchanged and modified without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. 1

I claim as 'my invention:

1-. A card-spreading device, comprising 7 a rockablymounted member, a group of cards arranged one behind the other and" carried by said-memberv with their free edges beyond the same, means for rocking said member, and means acting on the free edges of said cards to spread the same by bending said edges backward in succession upon the rocking of said member.

2. A card-spreading device, comprising a rockably mounted member, a group of cards arranged one behind the other and carried by said member with their free edges beyond the same, means for rocking said member, and means arranged in the path of movement of'sa-id cards for spreading the same by bending their free edges backwardfin succession as the cards are swung with said member into contact with and past said means. Y

31A card-spreading device, comprising a rockably mounted member, a group of cards arranged one behindthe other and carried by said member with their free edges beyond the same, means for rocking said member, and means arranged in the path of movement of said cards for spread- "ing the sameby bending their freeedges backward in succession as the cards are swung outward with said member into contact wlth and past said means from one side thereof to the other, said means being, mounted to be raised by the cards when swung back to starting position without spreading-the cards. Y

4:. A card-spreading device, comprising a rockably mounted member, a group of cards arranged one behind the other and carried by said member with their free edges beyond the same, a roller arranged in the path of movement of said cards, and means for rocking said member for carrying said cards into contact with and past said roller for spreading said cards by bending their free edges backward in succession as the cards are moved outward from said roller.

5. A card-spreading device, comprising a rockably mounted member, a group of cards arranged one behind the other and carried by said member with their free edges beyond the same, a roller arranged in the path of movement of said cards, means for rocking said member for carrying said cards into contact with and past said roller for spreading said cards by bending their free edges backward in succession as the cards are moved outward from said roller, and means mounting the roller to be raised by contact with the cards upon returning the cards t the rear of said roller.

6. A card-spreading device, comprising a rockably mounted tray, a group of cards loose in said tray one behind the other and having their free edges beyond the same, a roller arranged in the path of movement of said cards, and means for rocking said tray for swinging said cards into contact with and past said roller for spreading said cards by bending their free edges backward in succession as the cards are carried beyond said roller.

7. A card-spreading device, comprising a rockably mounted tray, a group of cards loose in said tray one behind the other and having their free edges beyond the same, a member arranged in the path of movement of said cards, and means for rocking said tray for swinging said cards into contact with and past said member 'for spreading said cards by bending their free edges backward in succession as the cards are carried beyond said member; said tray being constructed to cause the portions of the cards therein to be held in tight contact with each other during the flexing of the cards by contact with said member and loosening the tight contact of, the cards with each other upon relieving the flexing of the cards by said member.

8. A card-spreading device, comprising a rockably mountedtray, a group of cards loose in said tray one behind the other and of said cards, and means for rockingsaid tra for carrying the cards into contact with past the roller for spreading the same.

9. A card-spreading device, comprising a rockably mounted tray, a group of cards in said tray one behind the other and having their free edges beyond the same, a roller arranged in the path of movement of the free edges of said cards, a bracket for said roller and having arcuate slots therein arranged vertical and generally oblique to the swinging movement of sa1d cards, sa1d roller havlng trunnlons 1n sa1d slots, andmeans for rocking said tray for carrying the free I edges of said cards into contact with and past said roller. 7

10. A card spreading'device, comprising a rockably mounted tray, a group of cards in having trunnions in said slots, an arcuate rack bar carried by said tray, a shaft, a pin-- ion on said shaft in mesh with said rack bar,

and a hand wheel on said shaft for turning the same.

11. A card-spreading device, comprising a rockably mounted member, a group of cards arranged one behind the other and carried by said member, means for rocking said member, and means acting upon the rocking of said member to spread said cardsv 12. A card-spreading device, comprising an upright case open at thefront, a tray rockably mounted in said case, a group of cards in said tray and having their free edges extending upward above the same, a roller supported by said case above: said cards and in the path or movement ofthe free edges thereof, and means for rocking said tray forcarrying said cards into contact with and beyond said roller.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, 1 afiix my signature this 18th day of October, A. D. 1921. p

- PAUL E. FLEMING, 

